Wall project

Clashes near the wall as Aida refugee camp, last week (Anne Paq / Activestills)

The Wall, 11 years on: Changes, normalization and dissent

Exactly 11 years ago today, PM Ariel Sharon ordered the start of construction on a ‘separation barrier’ in the West Bank. It would soon become what is probably the biggest, most expensive and most influential construction project in Israel’s history. Eleven years later, how is construction of the wall progressing, and what is to become…

By Haggai Matar April 14, 2013

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The Wall, 10 years on / part 12: Where do we go from here?

Ten years have passed since Israel started building the wall, probably the largest and most expensive construction project in its history, which does not seem to be going anywhere. For four months now I’ve been presenting its story, and now it is time to offer some breaking updates, look into the future, and conclude. The…

By Haggai Matar August 10, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / part 11: Security for Israel?

The immediate trigger to start building the wall was the security of Israeli citizens. Ten years later, with all the known accumulated effects on Palestinians, nature, economy and political affairs – has the barrier fulfilled its stated goal for Israelis? Project photography: Oren Ziv / Activestills Standing on the cemetery mount in Budrus, at first…

By Haggai Matar July 14, 2012

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The separation wall in Walajah (Photo: Haggai Matar)

The Wall, 10 years on: part 10 / My encounters with the wall in space

After a long run-down of the wall’s history and effects, and as the series nears its end, I wish to share a collection of thoughts and notes on the aesthetics of the barrier and on the way it fits into the Israeli and Palestinian landscapes, all gathered while wandering along its route. Project photography: Oren…

By Haggai Matar June 30, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on: part 9 / Dividing land – water, fauna, flora

UNESCO is set to discuss the dangers facing Jerusalem’s eco-systems, a new UNRWA report elaborates the harm caused to water sources and flora throughout the West Bank, and environmental NGOs warn of the impending extinction of several species – these are the wall’s effects on mother nature. Project photography: Oren Ziv / Activestills An event…

By Haggai Matar June 23, 2012

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The Wall, 10 years on / part 8: A working class under siege

The wall was built to stop suicide bombers from entering Israel, so they say. But the people who do enter Israel on a daily basis are the tens of thousands of Palestinians who work here. Some go through hours of waiting at checkpoints, others climb the wall and risk injury or arrest – but all…

By Haggai Matar June 1, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / part 7: A village turned prison

There is no place quite like it in the entire West Bank. Residents of the village of Walajah petition the courts, demonstrate, initiate protest theater and music shows – yet still see the wall is expanding and surrounding them from all directions. Project photography: Oren Ziv / Activestills The last time I visited Walajah I…

By Haggai Matar May 11, 2012

The Wall,10 years on / part 6: What has the struggle achieved?

Commemorating 10 years since construction of the wall also means commemorating almost 10 years of the struggle against it, as described in the previous chapter. Just as we shall later examine what the wall has accomplished, one should also ask what exactly the struggle against it succeeded in doing, especially as so many people have…

By Haggai Matar May 9, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / part 5: A new way of resistance

Just as it is a story of suicide attacks, security, annexation, legal questions and political controversy – the story of the separation wall is also that of the popular, unarmed and joint struggle of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals against it. What started in September, 2002 as a small spontaneous action by a few farmers became…

By Haggai Matar May 5, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / part 4: Trapped on the wrong side

This is exactly the kind of thing that planners of the route hoped to avoid: having Palestinians who are barred from entering Israel trapped on the “Israeli” side of the fence. Yet in its long and winding route, the fence engulfs some 35,000 Palestinians who describe their new lives as a daily prison. Project Photography:…

By Haggai Matar April 21, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / Part 3: An acre here and an acre there

When brought before the High Court, the state promised villagers free access to their lands through special gates to agricultural lands. As the years went by, the court and the public lost interest, the villagers’ rights were ignored and their will to fight the system depleted. Land is being deserted, waiting for new settlements to…

By Haggai Matar April 13, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on / Part 2: Wall and Peace

The official reason for construction of the wall was Israeli security. After reviewing the history of the route in the first chapter of this series, and before inquiring whether it achieved its stated goal, we come now to the question of the wall’s effects on Palestinian society in the last decade. Chapter Two: the wall,…

By Haggai Matar April 11, 2012

The Wall, 10 years on: The great Israeli project

It might be the biggest, most expensive and most influential construction project in Israel’s history. To mark the 10th anniversary of its inception, I will be publishing in coming days a series of stories about the separation wall and its history, arguments in favor and against its construction, its effects and side effects and an analysis…

By Haggai Matar April 9, 2012